Crews have been working in the P.D. Graham Elementary School neighborhood as a new Westland program focusing on residential areas gets underway.

Working through the Neighborhood Services Department, city workers have a 50-point checklist aimed at revitalizing each neighborhood. The checklist includes street sweeping, tree trimming, replacing and and straightening street signs, fixing streetlight outages, surveying road conditions for immediate or future repairs, jetting and cleaning sewers and catch basins. For trees, that means limbs obstructing roadways, sidewalks, signage or street lights will be trimmed.

"The tree trimming probably was the most visible work they did," said Westland Mayor William Wild, as crews worked in the Cherry Hill/John Hix area. "We did kind of a soft launch to figure out what is the most effective way to do it, how many bodies do we need. The good weather has been helpful."

New reflective stop signs were being installed in the area. The last work in each neighborhood will be street sweeping.

Westland Department of Services crews cleaning up after the tree trimming.(Photo: WLND)

"Where we need street repairs, we will do emergency repairs in the neighborhoods," Wild said. "We will look at how we handle local and major street funds."

The view looking at the city's list of road conditions is a lot different than standing in the middle of that street to see it up close, Wild said.

"A lot of it will be concrete paving repair. The response from the residents has been very good," he said.

Headed by Deputy DPS Director Hassan Saab, the Neighborhood Services Department also has responsibility for ordinance enforcement and addressing blight in the city. Those duties were transferred from the Fire Department.

"We're getting squared up on our list of vacant homes, looking at the grass at the vacant homes. So far, it has all been positive," Wild said.

Over the last few years, Wild said the city shored up a lot of the municipal infrastructure. That includes a new city hall, fire station and opening the Jefferson-Barns Community Vitality Center.

"Our city is 50 years. We are making our way through the city. Hopefully, it will improve property values, which is good for all," Wild said. "Westland is a bedroom community. All these different neighborhoods have not seen this kind of attention in the history of the city."

This program was talked about last year, he said, but the city was handling a lot of other projects. Now, he said, DPS is down to finishing up work on Central City Parkway and the Farmers Market Pavilion.

"I think prior elected officials managed the decline of the city. When I became mayor, every area needed work," Wild said.

The administrative staffing in DPS — Saab and Director Ramzi E-Gharib, who are both engineers — provides the expertise needed for major infrastructure projects, he added.

"That wasn't true in the past. They have great expertise in water and sewer maintenance," Wild said.